Phoenix clergy travel to Abu Dhabi for interfaith peace forum

Interfaith Abu Dhabi

Pastor Cal Jernigan, senior pastor of Central Christian Church of Arizona; Rabbi Jeremy Schneider, spiritual leader of Temple Kol Ami Scottsdale and immediate past president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix; and Sheikh Didmar Faja, Imam of the United Islamic Center of Arizona, stand in front of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

A rabbi, an evangelical pastor and an imam walk into a hotel – it sounds like the start of a joke we’ve heard a thousand times before, but this scenario is no joke.

From May 2-4, 10 rabbis, 10 evangelical pastors and 10 imams from 10 cities in the United States were invited to Abu Dhabi by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies to take part in the program, “Religions Promoting Peace Through Trust and Partnership.” The conference took place at Jumeirah Etihad Towers, a luxury hotel in Abu Dahbi.